Feedback conveyor system

ABSTRACT

Material handling conveyor systems for use in cooperation with shear equipment. The conveyor system can be controlled to feedback or return sheared portions of the plates to the shear operator for further shearing operations.

United States Patent [1 1 Jarman Feb. 26, 1974 [5 FEEDBACK CONVEYORSYSTEM 2,788,069 4/1957 Noojin, Jr. et al 83/l55 x [76] Inventor: DavidJ. Jarman, Box 181 RR. No. 3, Aurora, 47001 3,186,453 6/l965 Green83/250 x [22] Filed: July 26, 1972 Primary Examiner-J. M. Meister [21]Appl' 275316 Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Alter, Weiss, Whitesel &

Laff [52] U.S. Cl 83/155, 83/157, 83/419,

' 83/467 511 Int. Cl 826d 7/06, 826d 7/16 [57] ABSTRACT 58] Field ofSearch 83/155, 157, 250, 401, 419, Material handling Conveyor Systemsfor use In p 33/424 4 7 4 g ation with shear equipment. The conveyorsystem can be controlled to feedback or return sheared portions [56]Refe Cit d of the plates to the shear operator for further shearingUNITED STATES PATENTS OPmlms- 3,370,494 2/1968 Schcnck 83/467 X 22Claims, 11 Drawing Figures PATENTEB F EB 2 61974 SHEET 5 BF 6 FEEDBACKCONVEYOR SYSTEM This invention is concerned with material handlingequipment and more particularly with conveyor systems for use withshearing equipment to manipulate the sheared and unsheared portions ofplates being processed by the shears.

It is known in the art to use conveyors in conjunction with shearingoperations to automate the shearing operations. The conveyors are mainlyused for conveying the already sheared material from the conveyor to astacking station for conveninet pickup.

In many operations it is necessary to take a second cut on the originalsheared material. In such cases it is not convenient to use the regularpresently available conveyors which only operate in a unidirectionalmanner to conveythe sheared material away from the conveyor. Therefore,it has been necessary in the past to manually transport the already cutmaterial from the rear of the shearing apparatus back to the front ofthe shearing apparatus to take a second cut. Usually more than oneperson is required to manually carry the cut plate from the rear of theshears to the front thereof because of the size and weight of thealready cut plate.

Alternatively, the previously cut plate has been handled by a singleindividual utilizing hoisting equipment such as cranes or lift trucksfor taking the cut plate from the rear, to the front of the shear.

It is readily apparent that either the utilization of two men or a manand having equipment slows thee shearing operations and significantlyincreases the costs.

A further problem is encountered when shearing long plates, the shearedplate often develope what is called a dog ear". The dog ear" is causedbecause the knife of the shear engages one side of the plate to besheared prior to engaging the rest of the plate. As the already shearedportion of the plate falls from the shear bed it bends the portion ofthe platethat is not already cut causing what is known in the trade asdog cared plates".

Accordingly, an object of the invention is to provide a feedbackconveyor to improve shearing operations by overcoming the difficultiespresently encountered.

More particularly, an objectof this invention is to provide a conveyorfor removing the already processed and cut material from the shears to astacking station and for selectively returning the material requiringfurther cutting to the front of the shears.

Another object of the invention is to provide a constant support for thesheet metal being cut even as it is sheared.

A related object-of this invention is to provide a feedback conveyorthat works automatically from the time the original sheet is fed intothe shear.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a gauge that can beautomatically set to cut and recut material to specified sizes.

In accordance with one preferred embodiment of this invention theconveyor system is attached at the rear of the shears. It comprises atop surface which is level with the shear table. The top surface of theconveyor system drops as the shear blade traverses the plate tocontinually support the sheared plate. The sheared portion of the plateis then selectively transferred to a stacking station, to scrap bins, orback to the front of the shear for further processing.

Other objects and features of this invention will be best understoodwhen considered in accordance with the following description taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 shows the inventive feedback conveyor in pictorial form alongwith hydraulic controls therefor;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the automatic conveyor system showing thecylinders used for raising and lowering component parts thereof;

FIG. 3 is a top view of the conveyor system;

FIG. 4 is a front view or shear side view of the feedback conveyorsystem;

FIG. 5 is a partial sectional view of the back gauge housing used withthe feedback conveyor;

FIG. 6 is a partial sectional view taken through line 6-6 looking in thedirection of the arrows in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a top view of the back gauge assembly;

FIG. 8 is a line locus drawing of the front of the feedback conveyor;

FIG. 9 is a line locus drawing of the end of the feedback conveyor;

FIG. 10 is an electrical schematic of the controls for the feedbackconveyor system; and

FIG. 1 l is a hydraulic schematic of the controls of the feedbackconveyor system.

In the drawings FIG. 1 shows some essential parts of the automaticfeedback conveyor system for utilization with automatic shear presses.The automatic feedback conveyor system comprises the conveyor assembly11 and the hydraulic control unit 12. The conveyor 11 comprises a frame13 mounted on casters, such as caster 14. The frame holds a conveyorchain assembly 16 that has on it a continuous chain, such as the narrowchain 17, or the wide chain 18.

Means are provided for actuating the shears responsive to a sheet ofpredetermined length being positioned in the shear. More particularlythe conveyor assembly is equipped with back gauge assembly 19 shown inthe raisedposition in FIG. 1.

The chains rest in chain support assembly 21. The chain support assemblycomprises transverse beams, such as transverse beam 22, cross beams,such as lower cross beam 23, and side plate 24 separated by flangeplates, such as flange plate 26. At the front of the lower cross beam 23there is a bearing means such as bore bearing 27. A shaft 28 passesthrough the bore bearing 27. Mounted on the shaft 28 are driven sprocketwheels, such as sprocket wheel 29. The driven sprocket wheels aremotivated by the chains which in turn are driven by a hydraulic motorassembly which will be described hereinafter.

Means are provided for selectively positioning the back gauge. Moreparticularly one of the back gauge lift and lower cylinders is seen at31.

The base assembly 13 comprises a rectangular frame made of longitudinalbeams, such as beam 32, and cross beams, such as cross beam 33. Thebeams are preferably hollow tubular beams to minimize the weight of theassembly.

The control unit 12 comprises a valve board 36, on which are mounted thecontrol valves such as valve 37 and an electrical control box 38. Thevalve board 36 is connected to a hydraulic tank 39 using flanges, suchas flange 41. An electric motor, such as motor 42, drives a hydraulicpump. The pump is coupled to the conveyor through hydraulic hoses, suchas hose 43. Electrical connection to the conveyor is made through theconveyor electrical connection box 44.

FIG. 2 shows the feedback conveyor system juxtaposed to a shear 46.Shear 46 comprises table 47 having a stationary shear blade 48 and amovable shear blade 49 mounted in the movable mounting 51. The normalposition of the top of the feedback conveyor is slightly higher than thetop of table 47.

Means are provided for raising and lowering the feedback conveyor. Moreparticularly, hydraulic cylinders, such as cylinder 52, are pivotallymounted to base frame 13 by brackets, such as bracket 53, in cooperationwith cylinder axle 54.

The hydraulic cylinder 52 has a movable piston 56 which is pivotallyconnected to an axle control member 57. The axle control member 57 isfixedly connected to axle 58. Axle 58 is similarly affixed by key slotor any other well known means to roller control members 59a and 59b(FIG. 4). The roller control members terminate in a roller 61 rotatablyaffixed in the roller control members. The roller 61 is juxtaposed tocross member 22 of the conveyor bed 16 and rolls thereacross in theraising and lowering process responsive to the position of piston 56. Asshown in FIG. 4 there are at least one means for raising and loweringthe conveyor on each side of the shear end of the conveyor.

When the conveyor is in its upraised starting position, it is actuallyslightly higher than the height of blade 18 so that sheet metal pieces,such as sheet metal piece 62, is disposed away from the top of blade 18thereby prolonging the life of the blade. In this table height positionthe roller 61 is at the right hand side of beam 22. To lower theconveyor the cylinder 52 is controlled to eject piston 56 and cause axlecontrol 57 to rotate axle 58 in a counterclockwise direction therebylowering the top of roller 61 as it rolls towards the left hand side ofbeam 22. The conveyor in this way is lowered to its bottommost position.The lowering of the conveyor occurs so that the conveyor continuallysupports the sheet metal as it is being cut, eliminating any bends whichotherwise may have occurred.

It should be noted that as piece 62 is placed through the shear head andover the conveyor top it abuts the back gauge 19. Means are provided inthe back gauge for controlling the shear operation responsive to thesheet metal piece abutting the back gauge.

The blade drops and cuts the material. The material that is out can theneither be fed forward over the scrap separator to stacker or it can befed back beneath the shear blades for another cut in the shear. Theseoperations occur under either automatic or manual control.

Means are provided for separating scrap material from the cut materialthat can be stacked. This means is a stacker blade 63 shown in FIG. 2.The stacker blade is hydraulically operated to the open position shownin dash line form at 64. The hydraulic cylinder that controls the scrapseparator blade is not shown. When the scrap separator blade is in theposition shown at 63 then the properly cut pieces are fed to theautomatic stacker shown generally as 66. Otherwise, with the scrapseparator blade in the upraised open position 64, the scrap pieces fallin the scrap container 67.

The hydraulic cylinder 31 used to elevate or lower the back gauge isrigidly coupled to beam 71 which depends downwardly from a beam, such asbeam 23, of the conveyor bed. More particularly, a cylinder mountingplate 73 is fastened to the channel or beam 71. The plate 73 hasattached thereto bracket 74, for rigidly holding cylinder 31 in place.Cylinder 31 cooperates with other cylinders, such as cylinder 31a, forlifting and lowering the entire back gauge assembly 19.

The back gauge assembly is elevated to the upraised position when thesheet metal pieces are placed through the shear. The back gauge isautomatically lowered as the shear blade cuts the sheet metal. Thesheared pieces thus pass unhindered over the lowered back gauge and intothe stacker or scrap metal container.

The back gauge assembly 19 comprises a unitary cross member 81 (FIG. 3)which interconnects the individual back gauges such as back gauges 82,83 and 84. The individual back gauges rise perpendicularly fromextending members, such as extending member 87. A brace member 88, forexample, rigidizes the coupling between members 81, 87 of the backgauge.

The back gauge assembly 19 also includes means for selectivelypositioning the gauge anywhere between the shear end of the conveyor anda point at least ten feet back from the shear end of the conveyor. Themeans, as shown, include threaded rod members 89a, 89b. The threaded rodmembers 89a, 89b are located in housings, such as housing 91, for mostof its length.

Means, such as hydraulic motor 92, operated from the main pump unit, areused for turning threaded rods 89a, 89b. The motor 92 is coupled to gearbox 93 which is in turn coupled to threaded rod 89a and also throughcoupling shaft 94 to a second gear box 96 that is coupled to threadedrod 89. Thus, both threaded rods operate at the same speed toselectively move the back gauges toward or away from the shear.

FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 best show the back gauge assembly. More particularlytherein are shown the threaded rod 89a in the protective housing 91. Atraveling nut 106 is shown mounted on the threaded rod. The travelingnut 106 has fixedly attached thereto the transverse plate 81. As isreadily discernable, particularly in FIG. 6, the transverse plate 81moves along on a slide bar 107 which slides on flanges such as flange108 of housing 91. The transverse plate 81 is shown welded to a bottomplate 109. A wear strip 110 may be used. The threaded rod 89a isrotatively supported by means such as flange bearing assembly 111. Thus,as the hydraulic motor causes the threaded rod to rotate, the back gaugemoves toward the shear or away from the shear depending on whether therod is rotated clockwise or counterclockwise. In FIG. 7 the back gaugeplates 82, 83 and 84 are shown equipped with limit switches, such asSW1.

Means are provided for automatically reading out the distance moved bythe back gauge stop. In FIG 2 are shown a pair of sprocket wheelsattached to the back plate drive motor 92 through gear box 96. Moreparticularly, drive and driven sprocket wheels 112 and 113 respectivelyare mounted to the hydraulic motor through gearing boxes. The rotationof the driven sprocket wheel 113 drives a flexible shaft (not shown)which connects to the control panel to automatically read out the numberof inches the back gauge is moved from the shear end of the conveyor.

The chains or belts, such as chain 17, are operated responsive to therotation of hydraulic motor 97 through gear box 98 which drives a shaft99 (FIG. 3).

The drive shaft 99 is rotatively mounted in bearing blocks such asbearing block 101.

F ixedly mounted to the drive shaft 99 are drive sprockets such assprocket 102, shown in FIG. 2. The sprocket is of the proper size toforce the chain or endless belt, such as belt 18, to continuously moveresponsive to the rotation of sprocket 102. The drive sprocket actuationof the belt, of course, causes the idler or driven sprockets, previouslydescribed herein, such as sprocket 29, to rotate.

FIG. 8 shows by line drawing the shear side of the conveyor in itsvarious up and down positions. The conveyor moves with the cutting edgeof the shear blade to support that sheet being cut. Line No. 1 indicatesthe conveyor at the starting or table height position. Line No. 2indicates a first downward movement of the con veyor as the blade cutsinto the sheet metal with a portion of the sheet metal already cut. LineNo. 3 indicates the position of the conveyor with more of the sheetmetal cut. Finally, Line No. 4 indicates the lowest conveyor positionwhich occurs when the cut is completed.

FIG. 9 shows by line drawing the stacker side of the conveyor in itsvarious up and down positions during the cutting operation. Line No. 1indicates the conveyor at the starting or table height position. LineNo. 2 indicates the position of the conveyor during the cuttingoperation. Line No. 3 indicates the position of the conveyor as the cutis finished. After the cut is finished the conveyor returns to theoriginal position, i.e., line No. 1. The movement of the conveyor aroundthe one corner of the stacker side of the conveyor is facilitatedthrough the use of means such as universal coupling 85 best seen in FIG.4.

When the conveyor is put into operation the electrical controls arefirst used to start the motor 42, (FIG. 11). In a preferred embodiment,motor 42 is a 14 hp.

3-phase motor. The motor is supplied from a 440 volt 60 cycle source,generally indicated at 116. A three pole switch SW4 connects the source116 through fuses 117, lines 118, 119, 121, contactor contacts Ml-l,M1-2 and M1-3 to the motor. Lines 118 and 121 also connect to theprimary of transformer T-l which transforms the 440 volt supply to 120volts at its secondary. The output of the secondary of transformer T-lgoes through lines 122 and 123. Line 122 has a fuse 124 in seriestherewith. The line 123 is the ground bus line.

Means are provided for starting the motor. More particularly, a normallyopen push button start switch PB-l is provided. The start switch is inseries with a normally closed push-button stop switch PB-2.

When the start switch is operated to its closed position power isprovided to control contactor coil M1 through a normally closed overloadcontact OL-l to ground line 123. The energization of coil M1 closescontactors Ml-l, M1-2, Ml-3 and M14. The closing of contactors Ml-l,M1-2 and M1-3 energizes the motor through the obvious circuitry. Thestart switch PB-l is bridged by normally open contacts M1-4, which closewith the energization of the coil M1. Thus, to start the motor pushbutton switch PB-l is pushed in and released. The motor then can bestoppped by operating push button stop switch PB-2. When switch PB-2 isoperated, it opens the energization circuit of contactor coil M1. Thecontacts under the control of contactor'coil M1 return to their normalopen position.

Means are also provided for indicating when switch SW-l is operated.Thus, pilot light PL-l is provided and is energized over a circuit thatgoes from line 122 through switch PB-2 in its normally closed positionand through pilot light PL-l to line 123.

The conveyor is provided with manual and automatic controls. In themanual control mode, the controls are used to direct the conveyor chainto carry the cut sheet metal from the shears to the stacker.Alternatively, the direction of the chains can be reversed to bring thecut sheet back into the shear. Thus, controls are provided forselectively operating the chains in forward or return directions. Thechains are moved by the hydraulic conveyor motor 97 shown in FIG. 10.The direction of r0- tation of hydraulic motor 97 depends on theattitude of an electrically controlled 4-way valve 126.

Means are provided for selectively running the conveyor at a normalspeed or at a fast speed. This means comprises the needle valves 127 and128 in the hydraulic line feeding into the 4-way valve 126. Moreparticularly, as shown in FIG. 10, the motor 42 is connected throughcoupling 128 to hydraulic pump 129. The hydraulic pump in a preferredembodiment is a 15 gallon per minute Racine pump, Supervane PSV-PNSO-2OGRS. It takes the hydraulic fluid from the gallon reservoir 39 througha suction filter 131. Heat exchange or temperature control means 132 arenormally provided for maintaining the temperature of the oil at anoperating level. The outlet of the pump is hydraulic line 133, whichfeeds directly into either needle valve 127 or through line 130 intoneedle valve 128 depending on the condition of a 4-way conveyor speedcontrol valve 134. When valve 134 is not energized the conveyor operatesat a fast level since hydraulic fluid is supplied to the conveyor motorthrough two paths. The first path is through lines 133, 136, valve 128,unoperated valve 134, through valve 126 operated to either the conveyorout or conveyor return position to operate the conveyor motor 97 eitherin a clockwise or a counterclockwise direction. The second path isthrough line 133, and valves 127, 126 to the motor. When valve 134 isenergized only the latter path is available.

Means are also provided for raising and lowering the conveyors. Moreparticularly, line 133 is connected to line 137 and through a conveyorup needle valve 138 to a conveyor up or down 4-way valve 139.

Valve 139 controls the operation of the conveyor lift cylinders 52 and142. These cylinders are located to control the raising and lowering ofthe shear end of the conveyor. Line 137 also leads through a line 143 tovalve 144 that controls conveyor lift cylinder 146. The conveyor liftcylinder 146 is located at the up and down moving side (the M side inFIG. 9) of the stacking end of the conveyor. The stationary side of thestacking end of the conveyor has the universal coupler for retainingthat section of the conveyor in a substantially vertically stationaryposition.

The hydraulic circuitry is arranged so that cylinder 142, the cylinderthat is on the side S at the shear end of the conveyor (FIG. 8), bringsthat side of the conveyor down slower than does the culinder 52 which ison the M side of the shear end of the conveyor as shown in FIG. 8. Thecontrols are also arranged so that cylinder 146 is actuated tore-elevate the M side of the stacking end of the conveyor after the cutis completed and while the conveyor is operated to transfer the cutsheet metal to the stacker. At that time the entire conveyor isre-raised to slightly higher than the table height which is the normalstarting position. Side M of the stacking end is raised using cylinder146.

The hydraulic paths to cylinders 141 and 142 comprise line 147 extendingfrom valve 139, line 148, and through proportionator 149. Theproportionator assures equal amounts of fluid are sent to cylinders 52and 142 during the elevation of the conveyor to return it to the raisedposition. Thus proportionator outputs 151 and 152 lead to cylinders 52and 142 respectively. The reservoir outlets of the cylinders are shownas 153 and 154, respectively.

As best seen in FIG. 2 when the piston 56 of the cylinder 52 isretracted the conveyor is raised. Thus, when valve 139 is operated toconnect line 137 to lines 147, 148 and 151, the piston 56 of cylinder 52is forced inward and the conveyor is raised. At the same time pressureis applied to retract the piston of cylinder 142. The hydraulic fluidtravels from proportionator 149 through outlet line 152, check valve 154to inlet 156 to force the piston of cylinder 142 inward and therebyraise the conveyor.

To lower the conveyor, valve 139 is operated to connect line 147 to thereservoir through line 157 and needle valve 158. Thus, line 148 isconnected to the reservoir and the weight of the conveyor forces thepiston 56 of cylinder 52 outward so that the conveyor is lowered.

The side of the conveyor that is held in the upraised position by piston142 is not lowered as fast since the check valve 154 blocks the flow offluid at the piston side of the cylinder so the piston cannot be forceddown by the weight of the conveyor. However, valve 159 operates toprovide a path to the reservoir from the piston side of the cylinderthrough line 161, the valve 159, line 162, needle valve 163, line 152,proportionator 149 and back to the reservoir through a previously tracedpath.

The needle valve 163 controls the rate at which one side of the conveyoris lowered. This valve 163 is adjusted so that the conveyor loweringrate matches the shear blade lowering rate. As the lowering of the shearend of the conveyor continues, the valve 144is similarly operated toenable the lowering of the movable side of the stacker end of theconveyor due to the emergence of the piston of cylinder 146. The pistonof cylinder 146 is forced outward when valve 144 is operated to coupleline 162 through the valve 144 to line 164, needle valve 169, line 157and needle valve 158 to the reservoir. The needle valve 169 is placed inthe line 164 to control the rate at which the movable side of thestacker end of the conveyor is lowered.

To raise the movable side of the stacker end of the conveyor, valve 144is operated to couple high pressure line 143 to line 162 to retract thepiston of cylinder 146.

It should be noted that means are provided for safety purposes forreleasing the pressure line in the event the pressure builds too high.More particularly, pressure relief valve 166 is provided at line 147.Thus, if the pressure in line 147 builds up above a predetermined level,valve 166 opens to couple the line and all lines coupled thereto toreservoir pressure.

Means are provided for controlling the back gauge to the desiredposition, with respect to the distance from the shear so that the sizeof the sheet cut is accurately and automatically controlled. Inaddition, means are provided for raising and lowering the back gauge sothat the back gauge is in the upraised position when the sheet is fedthrough the shear and is in the down position after the shear has takenthe out.

As had been noted before, the back gauge is operated forward andbackward responsive to the rotation of hydraulic motor 92. The hydraulicmotor 92 is fed from line 133 through needle valve 168 in line 159 to4-way control valve 171. As illustrated in FIG. 10, the motor rotates ina counterclockwise direction responsive to pressure being appliedthrough line 172, through the motor to line 173 and the reservoir 39.When the motor moves counterclockwise, then the back gauge is movedcloser to the shear. On the other hand, when valve 171 is operated sothat pressure is applied to line 174, then the motor turns to cause theback gauge to move away from the shear. A double relief valve 176 isprovided to assure a path between the high pressure line and thereservoir line when the pressure builds above a certain point. Therelief valve being a double relief valve operates either when line 174is a pressure line or when line 172 is a pressure line.

Means are provided for operating the back gauge towards or away from theshear at different speeds. More particularly, line 177, needle valve 178and valve 179 bridge needle valve 168 in the circuit leading frompressure line 133 to valve 171. Needle valve 168 is adjusted to allow alower rate of flow to the motor than does needle valve 178. Thus, ifvalve 179 is operated to enable needle valve 168 to be bypassed, thenthe higher rate of flow that passes through needle valve 178 causesmotor 92 to operate at a higher speed thereby moving the back gauges ata higher speed.

Means are provided for raising and lowering the back gauges. Moreparticularly, line 133 leads through check valve 181 to line 182. Line182 goes through control valve 183 to line 184. Line 184 feeds intoproportionator 186. The proportionator 186 assures an equal flow tolines 187 and 188. Line 187 leads to proportionator 189. Proportionator189 assures an equal flow through line 191 and 192 which are attached tothe piston side of cylinders 31a and 31b, respectively. Line 188 leadsthrough proportionator 196 to lines 197 and 198 which areconnected tothe piston side of cylinders 31 and 31c, respectively.

The other ends of the cylinders 31a and 31b are connected through lines202 and 203, respectively, to proportionator 204. Proportionator 204leads to line 206 which in turn leads to proportionator 207. The otherends of cylinders 31 and 31c are connected through lines 208 and 209,respectively, to proportionator 21 l. Proportionator 211 is connected byline 212 to proportionator 207. Proportionator 207 is connected to valve183 through line 211.

When the valve 183 is in its normal unoperated position the back gaugesare in the upraised position because of the pressure on line 182 passingthrough proportionator 186 and to the piston sides of the cylinders 31,31a, 31b and 310, through the path previously traced. The pressureforces the pistons inward and pushes fluids from the other side of thecylinder through the proportionators 211, 204, and 207 to line 211,connected through valve 183 to reservoir 39.

When the valve 183 is energized, then line 182 is connected to line 208to pressurize the other side of cylinders 31, 31b, 31a, and 31c, toforce the pistons from the cylinders and raise the back gauge assembly.The fluid from the piston sides of the cylinders travels throughproportionators 196 and 189, proportionator 186 through valve 183 downto reservoir 39. The check valve 181 assures that the line 133 is notconnected directly to the reservoir.

Means are provded for automatically checking the pressure of pressureline 133. This means includes a gauge isolator valve 212, which connectsa gauge to the pressure line responsive to the operation of the valve212.

Returning now to the electrical schematic of FIG. 11 therein is shownhow the hydraulic system operates responsive to the energization of thevarious valves as different switches are manipulated.

Means are provided for selecting the direction of travel of the conveyorbelts. More particularly, a push botton selector switch 88-1 is providedto control the direction of the conveyor. For example, when the pushbutton selector switch is set to the Out position and pushed, then valve126 is operated because of the energization of coil 126a of that valve.Coil 126a is energized over a circuit that extends from line 122, whichis the high voltage line, through line 217, switch contacts SS1-3 toSS1-4, through line 218, coil 216 to ground line 123. The energizationof coil 126a causes the conveyor motor to run so as to move the belts orchains forward or away from the shears.

In operation the operator first turns on the power as previouslydescribed to energize the pump motor. The operator normally brings theconveyor up to its table top or raised position. This is accomplished byoperating switch SS1 to the Out position, switch SS2 to the Autoposition and switch SS3 to the Raise position. In the Out position poles5 and 6 of switch SS1 are connected together. In the Auto" positionpoles 3 and 4 of switch SS2 are connected together. And in the Raiseposition poles l and 2 and 5, 6 of switch SS3 are connected together.The operation of these switches in this manner energizes coils 139a and144a of the up valves 139 and 144. The circuitry for energizing coils139a and 144a extends from the line 122 connected to the high side oftransformer T1, through poles 1 and 2 of switch SS3, lines 219, 222,normally closed contacts CS-l on the shear, line 223, normally closedcontacts K4-4 of Conveyor Raise relay K4, normally open contacts K1-3 onAutomatic relay K1 in the operated condition, line 227, contacts 1, 3 ofthe table height limit switch THLS, normally closed contacts TD2 of thetime delay circuit 251, and through coils 139a, 144a to ground bus 123.

The energization of the coils 139a and 144a of valves 139 and 144 causesthe conveyor to rise to its topmost or table top position. When theconveyor is in the topmost position the switch THLS will operate toconnect its contacts 1 and 2 and thus the limit switch THLS will openthe circuit to coils 139a and 144a. It should be noted that Automaticrelay K1 operates over the circuit that extends from line 122 throughpoles 1 and 2 of switch SS3, poles 3 and 4 of switch SS2, line 246,normally closed contact 1(2-3 on Conveyor Return relay and through thecoil of relay K1 to the ground bus 123. Thus, the conveyor will be movedup to its topmost position and maintained in that position.

Next, the operator sets the back gauge at the distance desired. This isaccomplished by operating the back gauge up and down switch SS4 to theup position, i.e.,

connecting poles l and 2 together to energize coil 138a of valve 183 toraise the back gauge. The energization circuit extends from line 122through contacts 1 and 2 of switch SS4 through time delay contacts Tl-l,normally closed contacts K2-4 of the conveyor return relay K2, contactsK3-3 of the Conveyor Top" relay K3 operated to the closed position andthrough coil 183a to ground bus 123.

' The Conveyor Top relay K3 was operated when limit switch THLS operatedto connect its contacts 1 and 2 over the circuit that extends from highvoltage line 122 through contacts 1 and 2 of Raise switch SS3, lines219, 222, normally closed contacts CS1, line 223, normally closedcontacts K4-4 of Conveyor Raise relay K4, contacts 1 and 2 of switchTHLS, and through the coil of relay K3 to ground bus 123.

When the back gauge is in the raised position, the gauge in or gauge outswitches are operated to control the direction of rotation of hydrualicmotor 92. More particularly, when switch PB4, the back gauge in switchis operated, a circuit is completed from line 122 through normallyopened contacts K3-4 operated to the closed position, contacts or poles3 and 4 of the SS4 switch which are normally closed, line 223, poles 3and 4 of switch PB3 and poles 1 and 2 of the switch PB3, limit switchBGILS (Back Gauge In Limit Switch) in the closed position and throughcoil 171b to ground bus 123.

Alternatively, to direct the back gauge toward the stacker side, switchPB3 is actuated which connects and operates circuit that extends fromline 122 through operated contact 1(3-4, normally closed 3, 4 of switchSS4, lead 223, contacts 3 and 4 of switch PB3, contacts 1 and 2 of PB4,limit switch BGOLS (Back Gauge OUt Limit Switch) and through coil 171ato ground bus 123. If either switch PB4 or PB3 are pushed in furtherwhile in the operated position, coil 179a of valve 179 is operated tobridge needle valve 168 through needle valve 178 and thereby operate theback gauge at its fast speed.

In the manual operational mode directional selector switch SS1 isoperated to the Out position, the automatic control switch SS2 isoperated to the Down position, the continuous run and raise selectorswitch SS3 is operated to the raise position.

The sheet metal plate is put onto the conveyor through the shear bladeopening. When the plate reaches the back gauge the blade is operated andthe plate is sheared. After the plate has been sheared, the directionalcontrol push button switch SS1 is pushed if it is desired to return theplate. This sets the switch SS1 to the return mode. If it is not desiredto return the plate the switch SS1 is allowed to remain in the Outposition. Then the conveyor out coil 126a of valve 126 is energized overa circuit that extends from line 122 through operated normally opencontact 1(4-1, poles 4 and 5 of switch SS1, line 218 and through coil126a to ground bus 123. Relay K4 is operated over a circuit that extendsfrom line 122, poles l and 2 of switch SS3, line 219, normally closedcontacts CR-l on the shear which open when the blade is in the downposition, and through coil K4 to ground bus 123.

Responsive to operating switch SS1 to the return position return relayK2 operates over the circuit that extends from line 122 through contactsor poles l and 2 of switch SS1, normally closed contacts Kl-l, andthrough coil of relay K2 to the ground bus 123.

The conveyor is caused to return to the upraised position. Moreparticularly the conveyor up valve coils 144a and 139a are energizedover the circuit that extends from line 122 through poles 1 and 2 ofswitch SS3, line 219, operated contacts K4-4, poles 6 and 5 of switchSS3, line 224, line 227, contacts 1 and 3 of the table height limitswitch THLS, delay TDI, and through valve coils 144a and 139a on valves144 and 139 to actuate the conveyor to the up position.

As soon as the conveyor reaches the table height position, then theconveyor return coil 126b is energized over a circuit that extends fromline 219, through contacts K4-4, contacts 5, 6 of SS3, line 227 throughcontacts K3-1 on the operated conveyor top relay, contacts K2-1 on theoperated conveyor return relay and through coil 126b to ground bus 123.Thus, the piece is brought back through the conveyor blade and anothercut can be made on the sheared piece in the same manner as heretoforeexplained without the necessity of carrying the sheared piece to thefront of the shear.

It should be noted that means such as coil 134a of ,valve 134 can beoperated to speed up the movement of the conveyor celt. Coil 134aoperates over a circuit that extends from line 224 through normallyclosed contacts Kl-2, contacts K2-2 operated to the closed position andthrough the coil 1340 of valve 134 to ground bus 123. The conveyor beltsor chains are stopped whenever the push button of selector switch SS1 isreleased to thereby disconnect poles 2, 4, 8 and the circuits coupledthereto.

Means are provided for manually lowering the conveyor level to followthe shear blade. More particularly, when the operator operates switchSS3 to continuous out, with switch SS2 in the down position, theconveyor down coils on valves 144 and 139 are energized over the circuitthat extends from line 122 through poles 7 and 8 of switch SS3, lines237, 238 and through the conveyor down coils 13% and l44b to ground bus123. At the same time the conveyor out coil or conveyor forward coil126a is operated when directional selector switch SS1 is operated to theout position with pols 5 and 6 joined together. So coil 126a is operatedover the previously described circuit extending from line 122 throughpoles 3 and 4 of switch SS3, poles 5 and 6 of switch SS1, line 218 andthrough coil 126a.

It should be noted that the back gauge is forced into its down positionby the return to normal of normally open contacts K3 whenever theconveyor is not in the upraised position. The open contacts K3-3 removesoperating power from coil 183a. Thus, the back gauge cannot be raisedwhile the conveyor is in anything but the table height position.Further, the back gauge cannot be raised if the conveyor is operating inthe return position. This limitation is controlled by contacts K2-4 onthe K2 relay. The K2 relay is energized whenever the conveyor isoperating in the return mode over an obvious circuit.

For the automatic cycle the Directionall switch SS1 is turned to the Outposition, the Continuous Run and Raise switch SS3 is turned to the Raiseposition and the Automatic Control switch SS2 is turned to Automatic.This causes the conveyor to move to the topmost position over circuitrypreviously 6 the conveyor forward by energizing coil 126 over thepreviously traced circuitry.

When the shear is operated in the automatic mode then the conveyor dropsto its lowest position following the shear blade as previouslydescribed. This is accomplished through the energization of coils 13%and l44b over circuitry that extends from line 122 through shear contactCRB operated to lower the shear blade. When the blade and the conveyoris all the way down then contacts CRB and CR1 of the shear open toreturn relay K4 to normal and deenergize coils 13% and 144k (K4-2opens). The up coils 139a and 144a are energized over the circuit thatextends from line 122, poles 1 and 2 of switch SS3, line 219, line 222,contacts CS1 on the shear line 223 contacts K4-4, K1-3, poles l and 3 ofswitch THLS, contacts TD2 on the timer and through coils 149a and 144ato ground line 122, contacts K4-1, poles 5 and 6 of switch SS1, line 218and through the coil 126a to ground bus 123. Relay K4 is locked operatedover circuitry that extends from line 219 through timing contact TDlwhich are in the closed position at this point.

The timer is energized over the circuit that extends from line 122through poles 1 and 2 of switch SS3, line 244, poles 3 and 4 of switchSS2, line 246, line 247 contacts Kl-3, operated to the closed position,line 248, contacts K4-3 operated to the closed position and through thetimer motor 251 to the ground bus 123. It should be noted that relay K1is operated at this point, over the circuit that extends from 246through normally closed contacts K2-3, and through the coil of theautomatic relay K1 to the ground bus 123. When relay K4 is unenergized,the timer is operated through line 219, line 222, contact CS-l, line223, contacts Kl-2, K3-2 and TD4, and through the timer to ground bus123.

The system can operate under the control of the timer so that repeatedcuts are taken. Contacts Tl-l controls the back gauge up and downcondition, while contacts T1-2 controls the conveyor down operation.Contacts TDI and TD2 control the conveyor up and forward operation.Sufficient time is provided for the sheared piece to be removed from theconveyor, at which time the conveyor rises again.

The micro switches, such as switches SW11 and SW11 on the back gaugecomplete a circuit for pilot light PL2. When it is energized theoperator knows that the plate to be sheared is properly positioned underthe shear blade abutting the back gauge.

While the principles of the invention have been described above inconnection with specific apparatus and applications, it is to beunderstood that this description is made only by way of example and notas a limitation on the scope of the invention.

1 claim:

1. A material handling conveyor system for use in cooperation with shearequipment,

said conveyor system including means for attaching said system to therear of the shear equipment, said conveyor system comprising conveyormeans having a top surface,

said top surface having at least two vertical positions for receivingsaid material cut by said shear equipment and for returning saidmaterial to said shear equipment for further shearing operations,

said conveyor means further having top surface means at the top surfacethereof for conveying sheet material thereon, and

means for controlling the direction of travel of said top surface meanswhereby the sheet material being conveyed is selectively directed awayfrom said shear equipment or back to said shear equipment.

2. A material handling conveyor system for use in cooperation withconveyor equipment,

said conveyor system comprising conveyor means having a raised positionand a lowered position and having a top surface,

said conveyor means further having top surface means at the top surfacethereof for conveying sheet material thereon,

means for moving the conveyor means between said raised position andsaid lowered position to support the sheet material while it is beingsheared by the shear blade, whereby said top surface of the conveyormeans follows the cut blade of the shear in the lowering process, and

means for controlling the direction of travel of said top surface meanswhereby the sheet material being conveyed is selectively directed awayfrom said shear equipment or back to said shear equipment.

3. The material handling conveyor system of claim 2 wherein the means ofmoving the conveyor means between the raised and the lowered positionsare hydraulically operated.

4. The conveyor system of claim 3 wherein said conveyor means comprisesframe means,

a conveyor chain assembly mounted on said frame,

said chain assembly comprising a plurality of endless chains,

said chains being of varying width,

drive sprocket wheels for driving said chain assembly, and

hydraulic motor means for driving said sprocket wheels selectivelytoward or away from said shear equipment.

5. The conveyor system of claim 4 wherein said frame means comprisestubular means for minimizing the weight of said base assembly.

6. The conveyor system of claim 4 wherein said means for moving theconveyor means between said raised and lowered positions compriseshydraulic cylinder means pivotally mounted at one end to the framemeans,

said hydraulic cylinder means having movable pistons extending from theunmounted ends,

said movable pistons being coupled to axle control members, said axlecontrol members fixedly connected to axle means, i

said axle means being pivotally coupled to the frame and affixed toroller control members, roller means rotatably affixed to said rollercontrol mem bers,

said roller means being juxtaposed to cross members extending below saidconveyor chains, whereby the raising and lowering of the conveyor bed isaccomplished responsive to the position of the pistons in the cylinders.

7. The conveyor system of claim 6 wherein the entire shear end of theconveyor is vertically movable and only one side of the other end of theconveyor is vertically movable.

8. The conveyor system of claim 7 wherein there are at least a first anda second cylinder at opposite sides of the shear end of the conveyor andone cylinder at the vertically movable side of the opposite end of theconveyor, and

wherein control means are provided for adjusting the flow of hydraulicfluid to the pistons so that the conveyor lowers in a manner to followthe lowering of the shear blade and provide constant support for sheetmaterial being sheared.

9. The conveyor system of claim 8 wherein electrically controlledhydraulic valves are used for controlling the operation of the hydrauliccylinder means.

10. The material handling conveyor system of claim 9 wherein means areprovided for the raising and lowering of the conveyor independently ofthe operation of the shear blade.

11. The material handling system of claim 9 wherein contact means areprovided for lowering the conveyor responsive to the lowering of theshear blade, said control means comprising:

first flow control means for operating the piston of the first cylinderon the shear end of the conveyor that is on the side of the conveyoradjacent to the lowest portion of the movable shear blade at a higherspeed than the piston of the second cylinder, and

second flow control means for operating the piston of the cylinder atthe opposite end of the conveyor concomitantly with the operation of thepiston of the first cylinder. 12. The material handling system of claim11 wherein said flow control means comprise needle valve means adjustedso that the flow of hydraulic fluid to the cylinders provide for thelowering of the conveyor in the required order 13. A material handlingconveyor means for use in cooperation with shear equipment,

said conveyor system comprising a conveyor having a top surface,

means for normally maintaining the top surface slightly above the top ofthe fixed blade of the shear equipment,

said conveyor means including endless chain means for conveying sheetmaterial thereon, and

means for controlling the direction of the travel of said conveyor meansfor selectively transporting sheet material on the conveyor surface awayfrom said shear equipment or back to said shear equipment.

14. The material handling conveyor system of claim 13 wherein means areprovided for controlling the speed of movement of said endless chainmeans.

15. The material handling conveyor system of claim 13 wherein hydraulicmotor means are provided for moving said endless chains,

means for selectively operating said hydraulic motor clockwise orcounterclockwise,

sprocket wheel means coupled to said motor for operating said chainsresponsive to the operation of said motor, and

means for selectively operating said motor at a high speed or at a lowspeed.

16. The conveyor system of claim wherein said means for selectivelyoperating said motor at a high speed or at a low speed comprises a firsthydraulic path to said motor,

a second hydraulic path for providing greater hydraulic flow to saidmotor,

speed control valve means for normally closing off the second hydraulicpath, and

coil means in said speed control valve means energized for operatingsaid speed control valve to enable the greater flow of hydraulic fluidthrough said motor to thereby provide a higher speed of said endlesschain means.

17. The conveyor system of claim 13 wherein controls are provided toprevent the return operation of said endless chain means when the topsurface of said conveyor is not at the normally upraised position.

18. The conveyor system of claim 13 wherein back gauge means areprovided for use in measuring the length of the sheet material to be cutin the conveyor.

19. The material handling conveyor system of claim 18 wherein means areprovided for automatically moving said back gauge from a positionadjacent to the shear end of the conveyor system to a position a fixeddistance away from the shear end of the conveyor,

means for raising said back gauge to obstruct the sheet material on theconveyor, and

means for returning said back gauge to its normally lowered positionbelow the endless chains to enable the passage thereover of the sheetmaterial. 20. The material handling system of claim 19 wherein the meansprovided for moving said back gauge com- 16 prises:

back gauge hydraulic motor means, back gauge directional valve means forselectively operating said hydraulic motor in a clockwise orcounterclockwise rotation, threaded rod means rotated by said back gaugehydraulic motor means, traveling nut means on said threaded rod meansfor traveling along said threaded rod means as said threaded rodrotates, and said back gauge being mounted on said traveling nut meanswhereby responsive to the rotation of said motor and said coupledthreaded rod the traveling nut moves either toward or away from saidshear equipment. 7 21. The conveyor system of claim 20 wherein means areprovided for selectively running said back gauge hydraulic motor at afirst or a second speed,

said first speed being the normal speed and said second speed being thehigher level speed, and said means for varying the speed comprisingelectrically controlled back gauge speed control hydraulic valve means,said back gauge speed control valve means in the unoperated positionenabling a first amount of hydraulic fluid to flow through saidhydraulic motor, and in the operated position enabling a greater amountof hydraulic fluid to flow to the hydraulic motor. 1 22. The conveyorsystem of claim 18 wherein means are provided for lowering said backgauge responsive to the lowering of said conveyor.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent "No. 3 793,Jlb Dated h'elnfuury 2b L97 Inventor(s) David Jarm'an It is certifiedthat error appears ih the above-identified patent and that said LettersPatent are herebycorrected as shown below:

Col. 1, line 30 "thee" should be the Col. 10, line 34 "OUt" should beOut Col. 11, line 24 "celt" should be --'-belt Col. 11, line 43 "p01.Si" should be poles Col. 11, line 66 "job" should be jog Col. 14, line41 (Cl. l3) "means" should be system Signed and sealed this 17th day ofSeptember 1974,

(SEAL) Attest:

McCOY M. GIBSON JR. c0 MARSHALL DANN Attesting Officer Commissioner ofPatents FORM Poi-05o (10-69) I USCOMM-DC 60375-F69 v U.5 GOVERNMENTFRINTING OFFICE 7959 -366-334

1. A material handling conveyor system for use in cooperation with shearequipment, said conveyor system including means for attaching saidsystem to the rear of the shear equipment, said conveyor systemcomprising conveyor means having a top surface, said top surface havingat least two vertical positions for receiving said material cut by saidshear equipment and for returning said material to said shear equipmentfor further shearing operations, said conveyor means further having topsurface means at the top surface thereof for conveying sheet materialthereon, and means for controlling the direction of travel of said topsurface means whereby the sheet material being conveyed is selectivelydirected away from said shear equipment or back to said shear equipment.2. A material handling conveyor system for use in cooperation withconveyor equipment, said conveyor system comprising conveyor meanshaving a raised position and a lowered position and having a topsurface, said conveyor means further having top surface means at the topsurface thereof for conveying sheet material thereon, means for movingthe conveyor means between said raised position and said loweredposition to support the sheet material while it is being sheared by theshear blade, whereby said top surface of the conveyor means follows thecut blade of the shear in the lowering process, and means forcontrolling the direction of travel of said top surface means wherebythe sheet material being conveyed is selectively directed away from saidshear equipment or bacK to said shear equipment.
 3. The materialhandling conveyor system of claim 2 wherein the means of moving theconveyor means between the raised and the lowered positions arehydraulically operated.
 4. The conveyor system of claim 3 wherein saidconveyor means comprises frame means, a conveyor chain assembly mountedon said frame, said chain assembly comprising a plurality of endlesschains, said chains being of varying width, drive sprocket wheels fordriving said chain assembly, and hydraulic motor means for driving saidsprocket wheels selectively toward or away from said shear equipment. 5.The conveyor system of claim 4 wherein said frame means comprisestubular means for minimizing the weight of said base assembly.
 6. Theconveyor system of claim 4 wherein said means for moving the conveyormeans between said raised and lowered positions comprises hydrauliccylinder means pivotally mounted at one end to the frame means, saidhydraulic cylinder means having movable pistons extending from theunmounted ends, said movable pistons being coupled to axle controlmembers, said axle control members fixedly connected to axle means, saidaxle means being pivotally coupled to the frame and affixed to rollercontrol members, roller means rotatably affixed to said roller controlmembers, said roller means being juxtaposed to cross members extendingbelow said conveyor chains, whereby the raising and lowering of theconveyor bed is accomplished responsive to the position of the pistonsin the cylinders.
 7. The conveyor system of claim 6 wherein the entireshear end of the conveyor is vertically movable and only one side of theother end of the conveyor is vertically movable.
 8. The conveyor systemof claim 7 wherein there are at least a first and a second cylinder atopposite sides of the shear end of the conveyor and one cylinder at thevertically movable side of the opposite end of the conveyor, and whereincontrol means are provided for adjusting the flow of hydraulic fluid tothe pistons so that the conveyor lowers in a manner to follow thelowering of the shear blade and provide constant support for sheetmaterial being sheared.
 9. The conveyor system of claim 8 whereinelectrically controlled hydraulic valves are used for controlling theoperation of the hydraulic cylinder means.
 10. The material handlingconveyor system of claim 9 wherein means are provided for the raisingand lowering of the conveyor independently of the operation of the shearblade.
 11. The material handling system of claim 9 wherein contact meansare provided for lowering the conveyor responsive to the lowering of theshear blade, said control means comprising: first flow control means foroperating the piston of the first cylinder on the shear end of theconveyor that is on the side of the conveyor adjacent to the lowestportion of the movable shear blade at a higher speed than the piston ofthe second cylinder, and second flow control means for operating thepiston of the cylinder at the opposite end of the conveyor concomitantlywith the operation of the piston of the first cylinder.
 12. The materialhandling system of claim 11 wherein said flow control means compriseneedle valve means adjusted so that the flow of hydraulic fluid to thecylinders provide for the lowering of the conveyor in the required order13. A material handling conveyor means for use in cooperation with shearequipment, said conveyor system comprising a conveyor having a topsurface, means for normally maintaining the top surface slightly abovethe top of the fixed blade of the shear equipment, said conveyor meansincluding endless chain means for conveying sheet material thereon, andmeans for controlling the direction of the travel of said conveyor meansfor selectively transporting sheet material on the conveyor surface awayfrom said shear equipment or back to said shear equipment.
 14. ThematerIal handling conveyor system of claim 13 wherein means are providedfor controlling the speed of movement of said endless chain means. 15.The material handling conveyor system of claim 13 wherein hydraulicmotor means are provided for moving said endless chains, means forselectively operating said hydraulic motor clockwise orcounterclockwise, sprocket wheel means coupled to said motor foroperating said chains responsive to the operation of said motor, andmeans for selectively operating said motor at a high speed or at a lowspeed.
 16. The conveyor system of claim 15 wherein said means forselectively operating said motor at a high speed or at a low speedcomprises a first hydraulic path to said motor, a second hydraulic pathfor providing greater hydraulic flow to said motor, speed control valvemeans for normally closing off the second hydraulic path, and coil meansin said speed control valve means energized for operating said speedcontrol valve to enable the greater flow of hydraulic fluid through saidmotor to thereby provide a higher speed of said endless chain means. 17.The conveyor system of claim 13 wherein controls are provided to preventthe return operation of said endless chain means when the top surface ofsaid conveyor is not at the normally upraised position.
 18. The conveyorsystem of claim 13 wherein back gauge means are provided for use inmeasuring the length of the sheet material to be cut in the conveyor.19. The material handling conveyor system of claim 18 wherein means areprovided for automatically moving said back gauge from a positionadjacent to the shear end of the conveyor system to a position a fixeddistance away from the shear end of the conveyor, means for raising saidback gauge to obstruct the sheet material on the conveyor, and means forreturning said back gauge to its normally lowered position below theendless chains to enable the passage thereover of the sheet material.20. The material handling system of claim 19 wherein the means providedfor moving said back gauge comprises: back gauge hydraulic motor means,back gauge directional valve means for selectively operating saidhydraulic motor in a clockwise or counterclockwise rotation, threadedrod means rotated by said back gauge hydraulic motor means, travelingnut means on said threaded rod means for traveling along said threadedrod means as said threaded rod rotates, and said back gauge beingmounted on said traveling nut means whereby responsive to the rotationof said motor and said coupled threaded rod the traveling nut moveseither toward or away from said shear equipment.
 21. The conveyor systemof claim 20 wherein means are provided for selectively running said backgauge hydraulic motor at a first or a second speed, said first speedbeing the normal speed and said second speed being the higher levelspeed, and said means for varying the speed comprising electricallycontrolled back gauge speed control hydraulic valve means, said backgauge speed control valve means in the unoperated position enabling afirst amount of hydraulic fluid to flow through said hydraulic motor,and in the operated position enabling a greater amount of hydraulicfluid to flow to the hydraulic motor.
 22. The conveyor system of claim18 wherein means are provided for lowering said back gauge responsive tothe lowering of said conveyor.